Flashlight



Aug. 17, 1965 R, F. MOORE 3,201,580

FLASHLIGHT Filed April 14, 1964 IElEz-I IINVENTUQ WEERT F. Magma UnitedStates Patent O ELZQLSS) FLASHMGHT Robert E. Moore, Rte. i, Box 303,helby County, naar Waldron, llnd. Filed Apr. lvl, 1964i-, Ser. No.359,@513 1 Claim. (Cl. 24u-1&6)

This invention relates to an electric lamp, and more specifically towhat is commonly termed a flashlight. The invention involves the use ofa lamp bulb of a certain rated voltage in combination with a batterydelivering a voltage much higher than that oi the rated voltage or thelamp bulb, and in this relationship, there is means provided forpreliminarily heating the low voltage lamp bulb element to bring it upgradually whereby the greater voltage of the battery may be employed toincrease the illuminating effect of the lamp bulb.

Also the invention includes the specic means for transmitting thecurrent from the battery which is located externally of the tlashlight,doing so through a plug and jack combination wherein the plug is of theelongated nature and extends substantially at right angles from thehousing of the llashlight, and then also including in the electricalcircuit a rheostat having a control extending from that housing at rightangles to the plug.

The liashlight involved in this invention would be employed among otherusages as an illuminating means in night hunting in wall-:ing throughthe woods, the flashlight would be so controlled as to give asubstantially normal beam of light, and then when game is located, theillumination directed from the Flashlight may be quickly increased, sothat the game such as a raccoou normally hie/h up in a tree could belocated, and the ilashlight held along the side of, but preferably undera rifle or other gun so that the beam of light of the high intensity ison the animal while the gun is sighted.

f course the llashlight would have many other usages, but thisparticular example, the extending plug forms a means for abutting theoperators hand thereagainst when the plug is turned downwardly, and thenthe voltage controller element protruding from the side of theflashlight is turned at righ angles to the axis of that plug, extendingfrom the ilashlight from its left hand side when held by a right handoperator in his left hand, so that the rheostat control member may bemanipulated by the ngers and thumb of the operator to adjust theflashlight to the intensity of light beam desired.

Further advantages and purposes of the invention will become apparent tothose versed in the art in the following description of one particularform of the invention as illustrated in the drawing, in which FlG. 1 isa view in top plan or" a dashlight embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in left han-d side elevation and including an externalbattery and carrier;

FIG. 3 is a view in front end elevation of the flashlight; and

FIG. 4 is a wiring diagram.

A ashlight generally designated by the numeral l@ has an elongatedtubular body il with a bulbous front end portion l2 within which anincandescent lamp i3 is mounted centrally of a reliector lll, all as iswell known to those versed in the art. The lamp bulb i3 is of a lowvoltage type, such for example without limitation thereto as the usualsixeight volt bulb.

The battery i5 is of the long type variety and is preferably of the drycell construction. ln the present form of the invention, this batteryhas a rated output of twelve volts. This of course may vary as theoperator may desire, so long as the output exceeds the rated capacity ofthe lamp bulb i3. The battery .l5 is preferably Sblb@ Patented Aug. l?,i965 carried in a container i6 to which is attached a shoulder strap i7so that the battery may be conveniently carried swung from the shoulderof the operator.

A coiled, flexible cable 18 comprising of a multiple number of turnsleads from the two terminals i9 and 19a of the battery to a plug Ztl ofthe usual and well known type for interconnecting one part of a circuitthrough the plug 2) to a jack 2l. The jack 21 is within the tube lll,preferably near the rear end. As indicated, the plug 2li is entered andmaintained in removable relation with the jack 2l to be at right anglesto the tube 1l, that is the axis of the plug Ztl is normal to thelongitudinal axis of the tube ll.

There is a cut-olf switch 22 mounted on the top side of the tube li inrelation to the plug Ztl extending downwardly therefrom. This switch 22is also of the usual and well known type employed in conjunction withtlashlights, and is permanently affixed to the tube ll.

A further element is added. This element designated by the numeral 23 isessentially a rheostat and has a controlling shaft 24 extendingoutwardly from the tube il near its forward end, and preferably underthe switch 22 to extend generally perpendicular to the axis of the tubell, and to be at right angles to the plug Ztl.

Referring to the electrical circuit diagrammed in FG. 4, the terminalsof the battery i5 are connected with the plug Ztl in the usual manner,and the plug Ztl is engaged with the jack 2l. This circuit from the jack2i consists of the Wire 25 and the wire 26, which include therebetweenin series the switch 22, the rheostat 23, and the lamp bulb i3.

In operation, the battery :strap 17 may be swung over the shoulder ofthe operator, and the plug Ztl engaged with the tjack. Normally therheost'at 23 would be 4adjusted to the shaft 24 to be set for a fullcomplete resistance included in the circuit so that there would be novisible illumination of the lamp 13, and the switch 22 under suchcondition would be closed, .and normally left closed during use of the,llashlight 19. When the Hashlight is -to be used simply .asillumination of the ground or terrain over which the operator iswalking, the shaft 2A will -be rotated only sufficiently to giveillumination for visibility to that terrain. This illumination would besuch as would lbe had, for example, as between four and six volts acrossthe lamp terminals.

Then when a far reaching and more brilliant beam of light is desired,the rheostat shaft 24 will be rotated around gradually to :supply lessresistance in series in the circuit .so that more voltage from the.battery is actually applied to the lamp i3, even up to the full twelvevolts of the battery in the example described herein. This highervoltage on the low voltage rated lamp is per-missible `since the heatingof the lamp is gradual, and the full voltage is not appliedinstantaneously, otherwise the lamp filament would .be burned outimmediately. The lamp filament is however of suciently ruggedconstruction in the normal lamp as to penmit this application of thehigher voltage in the manner indicated.

In .holding the flashlight l@ in the left hand as above indicated, thepalm `of the hand may be abutted by one edge against the protruding plugZtl so as to give a rm positioning of the lamp lll in the hand,whereupon the thumb will come up and Jaround .adjacent to the rheostat.shaft 24, and at least the index and the second lingers will be brought`around so that the shaft 24 may be manipulated between the thumb andone or both of those lingers to give the `desired voltage application tothe circuit. In other words, the flashlight is designed to be carriedand operated by one hand. Referring to FIG. 2, the carrying bag L16 isbroken .away .at the top to show the uppermost end -of the battery 1S,`and normally there will be a retaining strap 26 over the top .of thebattery, but here shown as only as la fragmentary attaching end 26a inorder to prevent .concealing the upper end of the battery.

W-hile I have herein shown and described my invention -in the one`particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be employedwithout departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and I therefore -donot desire to be limited to this precise form beyond the limitationswhich may be imposed by the yfollow-ing claim.

I claim: A flashlight `comprising the combination with a body, Ia lampbulb normally operated on a rated voltage and mounted .at one end of thebody; and a switch mounted on the body: of Y la portable battery havinga rated ou-tput Voltage higher than that of said bulb; a jack carried bysaid body; Ia plug removably received by said jack; a iiexible loableinterconnecting said battery and said plug; a rheostat carried by saidbody and operated -by a shaft; said'plu-g engaging .said jack .at`approximately a right angle to said body; said shaft extending fromsaid body at approximately 4 ya right angle thereto `at a positionapproximately ninety degrees around vrfrom the plug and spacedintermediate the plug and said bulb; `said switch being Vspaced atapproximately one hundred eighty degrees around from said plug andintermed-iate said plug and said bulb; vand a circuit from said batterythrough said cable including -in series said lamp, said switch, saidrhe-ostat, `and .said jack;

said rheostat normally set to provide minimum current -low through saidlamp upon a closed switch, and, upon turning of said shaft permittingincreased battery voltage to =be impressed upon said lamp bulb.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Holmes Z110-10.66

Deppe 240-59 X NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

